The kid-tech startup uses tech-for-good and provides English language learning, powered by speech recognition technology. The app, which is developed and designed for India with a heavy focus on vernacular languages, personalizes the learning experience for kids through the application of NLP and Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The funds will be deployed in expanding the app’s user base to the pre-school market in Tier 2 and Tier 3 centres and also tapping the kids in the NRI market with cultural connect to India via a Hindi learning curriculum. Besides marketing, OckyPocky also plans to scale its operations and improve upon the technology powering the app with the funds raised.

The platform aims to monetize with a freemium model for B2C and is going to target majority users coming on the mobile web who do not speak English at home but want their kids to learn English from day one.

Founded in April 2015 by ex-YouTube India Head and IIM Bangalore alumnus, Amit Agrawal, OckyPocky has been organically gaining traction notching up 2.3 million video views within months of its launch and with pre-school kids attempting 500k+ interactive questions on the platform till date. It has become one of the top apps for kids with 180000+ on the Google Play Store and 6000+ downloads on Apple App Store.

“OckyPocky’s mission is to change the way 160+ million preschool kids learn, starting at age 2”, said Amit Agrawal, Founder and CEO, OckyPocky. Outlining his company’s role in the space of early childhood education space, he said, “Preschool kids in the age of 2 to 6 constitute the 3rd largest gadget user demographic. Their minds are very fertile and we should leverage technology to facilitate the exponent growth during these critical foundation years. Language is a key skill they start learning, but many of them in Tier II and Tier III towns lack access especially to early stage English language learning solutions. Existing internet content is often unsafe for them. We aim to change this with OckyPocky and help India build a better foundation for its future generation at a stage where it really matters. We are overwhelmed and grateful for the support we have had from our angels & mentors.”

Praveen Mothkuri, who invested in this round, said,“OckyPocky is tackling a massive problem in language learning on how to make language learning fun for kids. OckyPocky aims to become the #1 language learning resource for pre-schoolers helping children become more creative, flexible and better engaged in problem-solving.”

OckyPocky was among the top eight enterprises selected for the first cohort of impact investor Gray Matters Capital’s Mobile Edtech Accelerator Program – GMC Calibrator in June this year. It is supported by former executives from Spotify, Slideshare, Linkedin, Facebook, Google, YouTube, Netflix and Disney.

Harshad Lahoti, Founder, and CEO of ah! Ventures said “OckyPocky is tapping into the ever-growing need for educating pre-school kids in English. It has wide applications in other sectors such as preschools, NGOs as well. Chinese startups in the space have already achieved unicorn status and OckyPocky aims to follow this growth trajectory by disrupting traditional kid-tech with an interactive, personalized and instant-learning curriculum. Amit (OckyPocky Founder) is an industry veteran having built several multi million dollar success stories for YouTube and India Goes Global. Ah! Venture is excited to be a part of OckyPocky’s quest to become the no.1 destination for preschool kids”.

Founded in 2010, ah! Ventures has systematically disrupted India’s early stage funding ecosystem through its innovative approach toward startup investing. First of its kind initiatives like the CLUB ah!Network& Platform – India’s first full-spectrum startup investment network & platform, ah! Angels – India’s largest angel network, ah! Seeders and ah! VC networks – India’s first seed & VC investment networks respectively, have brought together and integrated the otherwise previously segregated startup funding lifecycle, under one roof. This, coupled with ah! Impact network – an impact investment network for investing in social enterprises, ah! Mentors network – a mentor network to assist startups in their growth and expansion, ah! Marketplace – first and only one-stop shop for accredited startup service-providers, ah! Gyan Guru – a startup focused edu-knowledge platform, STARup – a startup summit poised to be the biggest and the best in India, has today made ah! Ventures not just one of India’s most respected change leaders, but also a formidable industry force to recon with. ah! has recently launched its unique mobile app (on iOSand Androidapp stores) to cater to the ever-growing startup ecosystem.